Remember to Periodize Your Yoga

I enjoyed a full-day immersion with Baron Baptiste on Saturday. (Thanks to Lori Burgwyn of Franklin Street Yoga, a Baptiste affiliate studio, for the picture of Baron signing his book for me.) He’s a great presenter and a fabulous teacher, and he has given me both a great interview and a nice blurb for my book.

The challenging yoga reminded me of the importance of periodizing yoga to suit the training cycle. It can be so tempting to push up into, say, the tenth backbend in a row (yep, many did), but if you have a peak competition coming up or are feeling fatigue from your workouts, it’s unwise. Three weeks out from running Boston and three weeks ahead of short-course triathlon worlds, I took it medium easy, especially toward the end of the day. Three days later, I still have muscular soreness, which feels different without the concomitant joint and connective-tissue aches I get after a long race.

Remember, be smart. Keep your yoga and your training in inverse proportion. When you’re training hard, the yoga should be easy and support your recovery. Keep the kickin’ power vinyasa in the off-season, or slot it as its own hard workout with appropriate recovery afterward. (I was eating PowerBars all day, and wishing I’d brought sport drink, too!)
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